RANSVESTIA

"And then you'll let me go?" Russell's question was in a most guarded tone, his dark eyelashes obscuring his eyes. "Yes," said Hamilton simply.

"What can I do?" asked Michael John Russell.

"Nothing," answered Bud. It's Candy who does it all."

(Later)

Neither Al nor Ray was prepared for Candy's arrival at the stakeout car. The mink fur coat she wore covered a lot, but there was a lot left to see. Her platinum hair had been combed out into soft waves so that the hard, flashy edge she had some- times had as Bassaglia's 'girl' had disappeared. Diamond earrings dangled just below the line of her hair which swept forward. to brush lightly against her soft cheeks. She was not so heavily made up as before, and she looked much better for it, the mas- cara on her eyelids being enough to compliment the white and blue eyeshadow she wore. Her pink lips were not glossy as before, but were just as femininely curved. Candy's figure was concealed by her fur but the edge of her dress showed as did her shapely legs. She might have been wearing no stockings at all, so close to flesh tone was her hose. Her high-heeled shoes, more like tiny, open toed straps, were silver like the long purse she carried.

"Bassaglia's apartment," said Hamilton curtly to Al Sei- vers who nodded, tore his eyes away from Candy, but then continued to ogle her in the rear-view mirror. Pezanski was quite tongue-tied.

At the apartment, Hamilton let Candy lead the detectives through a desultory question-and-answer session until they were interrupted by a young man in a dark suit. "Gussie," said Candy in her most girlish voice. "How nice to see you!" She turned to Hamilton. "See! I told you my friends wouldn't forget me!"

Bud Hamilton smiled sourly. "You're Louie Bassaglia's lawyer," he said to Angus Phelan. "Or rather, you were.'

"Just doing a job for a friend," said Phelan glibly. “Now, I understand that you have not charged Miss, er Miss..."

"Ms Appleton," said Candy with a smile.

"Right," Phelan smiled back. "You haven't charged Ms Appleton with a crime, and yet you have her under police supervision. I must insist that you release her without any de- lay."

"She is a material witness in a multiple murder case," said Bud stubbornly. "She may also be in very grave danger from the killers of a policeman,. If they've killed a policeman, you can be sure that the men we're seeking will stop at nothing to harm

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